DE A 1 611 362 discloses a sheet-aligning device which comprises a sheet-bearing device which is formed by corrugated resilient strips. On one side, the sheet-bearing device is bounded by an aligning rail which can be adjusted along an axis, transversely to the sheet-infeed direction, for adjustment to the sheet width. Provided on the other side of the sheet-bearing device are a bottom guide and a top guide, between which the sheet is introduced. The top guide and the bottom guide can likewise be adjusted along the axis, transversely to the sheet-infeed direction, for adaptation to the sheet width. Above the center of the sheet-bearing device, a holding-down bar is arranged just above the sheet-bearing device, this bar preventing an incoming sheet from rising up. In the case of wide sheet-bearing devices, it is necessary to have a plurality of holding-down bars spaced apart one beside the other in order to prevent the sheet from rising up over the entire width of the sheet-bearing device. The arrangement of a plurality of holding-down bars is presented, for example, in German Utility Model 84 06 391. The plurality of holding-down bars are fixed above the sheet-bearing device. If the sheet-bearing device is to be adjusted to a smaller format, the aligning rail can be displaced in the direction of the center of the sheet-bearing device, counter to the force of the resilient elements. Since the holding-down bars are located level with the aligning rail, it is necessary to remove holding-down bars which are fitted within the adjusting path. At the same time, it is also necessary to adjust the bottom rail and the top rail, for which reason it may be necessary to remove further holding-down bars. Installation or removal of holding-down bars, however, involves very high outlay.